Abstract:
The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of bacterial
contaminants in Nigerian currency notes that are in circulation in Northern
Nigeria and associated risk factors. A total of 160 different Naira notes in
circulation were randomly sampled for bacterial isolation. About 250 structured
questionnaires were also issued to the public and 20 restaurants were randomly
visited with the view of identifying possible risk factors associated with Naira
note contamination. The genera of bacteria isolated included Staphylococcus
sp. (22.5%), Escherichia coli (12.5%), Pseudomonas sp. (6.25%),
Klebsiella sp. (5%), Streptococcus sp. (3.75%) and Proteus
sp. (2.5%). The